The ramblings of a middle-aged man

Midnight Oil by Swamp Head Brewery

Swamp Head is out of Gainesville, Florida. Ya know, home of the Gators. Apparently, down here you either love the Gators or the Seminoles (That’s University of Florida and Florida State respectively for you non-sports geeks). This is my first Swamp Head beer, and the next in my series of Florida Shelfies.

Swamp Head describes Midnight Oil as: “Quiet and sensual like a moonlit night, this complex blend of toasted oats, roasted barley, chocolate wheat malt and dark roast coffee imparts an intense aroma and complex flavor profile. We brew a traditional English style oatmeal stout with a rich malt profile, then add locally roasted coffee while this ale is cold conditioned. Perfect for burning the midnight oil.”

Oatmeal stouts got their start in 19th-century England and were looked upon as a source of nourishment. I knew I drank stouts for a reason! They keep you healthy! 🙂 Midnight Oil pours opaque coffee black with a nice tan, foamy head that dissipates to a slight ring around the inside of the snifter.

Aroma is bitter coffee and dark chocolate. Swirling the beer in the glass restores a bit of the head while blasting the nose with roasted barley. It’s a pungent aroma, almost earthy, which is different.

Midnight Oil is medium-bodied with astringent notes and bitter coffee. I suspect the chocolate wheat malt has something to do with that bitterness. That finish is like bakers chocolate and coffee all rolled into one. It hangs around, but it’s not unpleasant. It’s a low ABV stout, but it will definitely fill you up. Burns the midnight oil indeed!

This is a quality shelf beer from a Gainesville brewery I need to check out. I agree with Swamp Head’s assessment of this being in the English-style. It’s very much like an English-style porter, in fact, which became stout porters and finally stouts later. As with all these shelfies, I’d prefer them fresh on tap. This beer was canned in December 2018, and as of this writing, it’s nearly the end of March so it’s held up pretty well. Are there better stouts out there? For sure, but this is a solid beer that I enjoyed immensely.